Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.
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Hey, so this is the list of movies on my local media server which are tagged as "cyberpunk". I am looking for suggestions on more movies I should add to this list. Cheers,
ETA: Well, OK, this should keep me busy for a while. Thanks - y'all are amazing and awesome.
Blade runner: Black Lotus?
Here's some quick possible additions off the top of my head: Minority Report, Strange Days, Ghost in the Shell.
Snow Crash once someone makes it
Yes.
And Neuromancer (goddammit).
Snowcrash (brought to you by Meta)
I scrolled pretty far and didn't see Duncan Jones's Mute. Very strong cyberpunk aesthetics, and a great story.
Strange Days (1995). The main premise is cyberpunk as fuck, the story gets real dark and it stars Ralph Fiennes playing what is essentially a brain dance dealer. Great film.
No cyberpunk collection is complete without Ghost in the shell (not the scar Jo one)
The OG film (1995), the sequel (GitS: Innocence - 2005) and the series Stand Alone Complex (2002-05) are all essentials in the genre.
And once you're done maybe go for GiTS SAC:2045 or GiTS:Arise. But they aren't that great. But films and OG SAC are a must.
Came here to recommend this as well. You beat me to it :p
Judge Dread (there are several)
Demolition Man
The Keith Urban "Dredd" is so good
Trying to avoid the already great recs, for varying levels of cyberpunk themes or aesthetics...
Movies
Gattaca 1997
Elysium 2013
Ex Machina 2015
TV
Almost Human
Cowboy Bebop (any)
Devs
Incorporated (highly recommend!)
Max Headroom
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Well OP you could literally watch the Cyberpunk series that Netflix put out.
It's really good. Great soundtrack
Altered Carbon S1
That series absolutely blew me away. Season 2 didn’t really compare so I just plan to watch season one once per year or so.
Considering I loved The Peripheral, this is for sure going on my list - thanks!
I'm still pissed that Amazon cancelled The Peripheral. I'm dying for Gibson to finish the book trilogy.
Battle Angel Alita was a lot of fun. (Admittedly, I'm a sucker for good action sequences.)
Battle Angel Alita being the original anime, as opposed to Alita: Battle Angel which is the pseudo live action reimagining, which was also OK
Both are cyberpunk
The 1993 Gunnm OVA isn't that great tbh, rather watch the James Cameron adaptation. It covers mostly the same story, but it's paced better.
Here are a couple "cult" movies:
Hardware (1990) - not a "good" movie, but never boring and very worth watching. Great soundtrack, fun cameos, several interesting ideas.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995) - the best really bad cyberpunk movie. A very fun watch, if you're sufficiently protected from cringeing to death. Apparently there's a 2022 black and white cut that has a much better feel, but I've never seen it.
Videodrome (1983) - it's got lowlifes, it's got high tech (for that time and place), it's got urban dystopias, and it's got evil corporations. I'd argue it's "proto-cyberpunk". Irregardless, it's one of the best SF horror movies ever made. Yes, right up there with Alien, arguably better bc it has more to say about how technology mediates reality and bc it really gets in your head. Heh.
Johnny Mnemonic was the most like cp2020 movie I've seen.
Hackers
This one from 1995, yeah?
That’s the one. It might be to literally cyber and punk but both are definitely in this film.
1992 - sneakers
1975 - rollerball
1982 - TRON
2002 - equilibrium
1989 - cyborg
1994 - timecop
2015 - chappie
1995 - 12 monkeys
1992 - the lawnmower man
2002 - minority report
Aeon Flux, you gotta get the animated series though!
I’ll endorse Hackers also, very heavy with style
Serious question - does the '93 Mario Brothers count?
If this is indeed a serious question, here's a post I made 2 years ago asking that very question. Fun discussion.
Not 100% sure it qualifies but i believe so, i enjoyed the dredd movie with carl urban and it has a very dystopian setting.
There is also an older one with stallone but i believe that one is more comedic.
E: also since you got blade runner in there i cant help myself and must suggest my favorite movie Alien, at least the first two. Supposedly they play in the same universe as blade runner
Dredd was good and deserved more attention, and a sequel, but Paul Leonard-Morgan's Dredd soundtrack was awesome.
Does Equilibrium count as Cyberpunk?
My favorites I don’t see!
Strange Days A Scanner Darkly Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Campy ones, if you’re into that: Space Truckers Cherry 2000 964 Pinocchio Nemesis
Ghost in the shell both the original movie and the first two seasons of the of og anime are both classic cyberpunk media
Equilibrium
If you have Escape From New York, you should also have Escape From LA.
I'd definitely recommend adding Space Sweepers for something fun and upbeat (for cyberpunk).
For a scifi horror with more cyberpunk elements than you might expect, I'd suggest Morgan (2016).
Soldier (1998) might be too much of a stretch but it's got a lot of the elements (minus an evil corporation) and it's a solid film.
Edit: I forgot Outland! It's great, plot is basic but works, actors are fun (it's got Sean Connery) and the aesthetics/sets are prime Alien/Aliens territory. I think of it as being set in the Aliens universe.
I don't think I'd call Dark City really cyberpunk. I don't know what you'd call it. Retro-1940s but in a sci-fi environment?
checks Wikipedia
Wikipedia calls it "neo-noir".
It's part of a wave of tech noir movies that came out of the late 90s, along with e.g. Gattaca, The Matrix, Strange Days, eXistenZ, 12 Monkeys... I'll also count The Thirteenth Floor, even though it's an adaptation of a 1964 novel that had already been adapted in the 70s (and very well, for that matter).
(One addendum: The Matrix feels slightly out of place but that's because it brought more action and innovative special effects to the mix and ended up all but ending the genre as audiences demanded more of that now.)
Those movies were good watchin'.